Comments by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte have ignited speculation he is preparing to face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a development analysts have said could weaken his family’s political dynasty ahead of the country’s coming midterm elections.
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Speaking at a rally in Hong Kong on Sunday, Duterte said he was prepared for arrest, amid unconfirmed reports the ICC was planning to issue a warrant against him for crimes against humanity linked to his bloody war on drugs.
Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown, his signature campaign promise, propelled him to power in 2016 as a tough-talking, crime-busting mayor. Official figures estimate the drug war’s death toll at more than 5,600, but rights groups estimate the number could exceed 27,000.
“Assuming [the warrant is] true, why did I do it? For myself? For my family? For you and your children, and for our nation,” Duterte told the rally, justifying his brutal war on drugs.
“If this is truly my fate in life, it’s OK, I will accept it. They can arrest me, imprison me.”
Duterte was in Hong Kong to speak at a campaign rally attended by thousands of Filipino workers, hoping to boost support for his senatorial candidates in the Philippine midterm elections in May.